Wissa showed why Newcastle bought him in an excellent display against Liverpool
Yoane Wissa of Newcastle United
Yoane Wissa of Newcastle United(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Yoane Wissa has opened up on the 'very difficult moments' he has struggled with during his first year at Newcastle United after his brilliant display against Liverpool.
The 29-year-old put in a player of the match display in the Magpies' opening game of the 2026/27 season, setting up United's second goal for Joe Willock in their 2-2 draw at St James' Park on Sunday.
The DR Congo international covered every blade of grass in a breathless performance as he finally looked like the player Newcastle shipped out £55million to sign from Brentford last summer.
Wissa struggled in his first season on Tyneside, picking up a knee injury just days after his move that ruled him out of action for three months and that recovery, coupled with a disjointed pre-season, set him back as he looked to make an impact for his new side.
Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1HERE– exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, plus an ad-lite experience
He scored just three goals in his first season at the club, having scored 20 for Brentford the season previously, but he managed to score three goals for his country in this summer's World Cup.
He carried that momentum into a positive pre-season, too, scoring twice in the win over Valencia earlier this month and those performances translated into an accomplished start to the season on Sunday.
Wissa has always been steadfast in his desire to earn the approval of Newcastle fans and that was again transparent when he addressed the media in the mixed zone after Sunday's draw as he opened up on his tough start to life in the north east.
“It’s been very, very difficult for me since I joined the club," Wissa told reporters after Newcastle's draw with Liverpool. "But now everything is in the past. My body, I feel good and today I showed that I am very happy to be here, very proud to be a Newcastle player.
“It’s been very, very tough, I need to be honest with you, physically and mentally. I think to get through this, it’s probably the World Cup that really helped me to change my mood and trust myself, trust my body.
“I had a good pre-season. The last three months have been amazing for me, so that’s why today I am very happy to be here."
When Wissa was replaced in stoppage time, he received a standing ovation from all four sections of the St James' Park crowd and he could not hide his joy when asked how that felt after a difficult first season at the club.
“It was amazing," Wissa explained. "I wanted to be here, I wanted to enjoy these moments and today, I just enjoyed the 94 minutes I played from the first minutes until the last minute.
“Unluckily we conceded a penalty at the end because I wanted to cheer with the fans because we deserved to win today, but I can only say thank you to the fans today and thank you to my team-mates because it’s been unbelievable today.
“Of course, it’s not easy when you play football and you are not feeling well, but the club always backed me.
Article continues below
“Everyone wanted me to do my best and today I just needed to give back something. At the beginning of the season, we played against Liverpool and we have so much to look forward to now. It’s a good, good point. We showed today that we all ready."